


The Kids are Alright

by Cee693



Category: The Flash
Genre: AU, Angst, Childhood Trauma, Divorce, F/M, Family Fluff, Family Secrets, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Inspired by The Parent Trap (1998), Past Child Abuse, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-20
Packaged: 2021-03-22 23:35:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 19,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30046524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cee693/pseuds/Cee693
Summary: The Parent Trap, Westallen Style.
Relationships: Barry Allen/Iris West
Comments: 29
Kudos: 73





	1. Hello Stranger, It's Good to See You Again.

**Author's Note:**

> I know I promised a sequel to Questions I Have for a Sinner like Me, but the day I went to upload it, google docs lost the entire work and it's nowhere to be found in the trash bin or anywhere 🙃 I'm so pissed, I don't have words. I'll try to re-write the entire thing, but it's definitely going to be a while. I'm sorry!
> 
> But, in the meantime, I'll post this story which has been sitting in my drafts for half a year now.
> 
> I don't know what it is about Westallen as parents that I've been fixated on since the summer. It's not even by choice! 😫 It just seems to be the only stories I can actually _finish_. This isn't completely done yet, but the plot is straightforward and won't be hard to update regularly. It's not going to be anything dramatic. Probably just between 3-5 chapters. Depending on where the story takes me. 
> 
> But, I swear this is the LAST time I post this couple with children. After that cursed Season 5 on the show, the idea of Barry and Iris as parents gives me massive heebie jeebies. So, idk what this weird parental kick has been. But, I love the Parent Trap so I like this idea for Westallen.
> 
> JUST A NOTE: I know the movie is very light-hearted and sugary and I think this is too. But, fair warning, there's a bit of some darker elements to this story. In order for this to work- two parents divorcing and each taking a child- especially those parents being Barry and Iris of all people, there needed to be a sense of realism. And the only way I could fathom Barry and Iris divorcing, let alone divorcing and severing all ties with each other, I had to make their childhoods rough enough to mold two people like that. It won't be touched on in this first chapter, but **double check the tags before you dive into this expecting a full-on Disney film.**

"How much time's left on the countdown, doctor?" The older scientist wondered as she adjusted her protective goggles and bent down so she was once more behind the clear protective shield.

"T-minus sixteen seconds, doctor," her young assistant supplied, checking the clock. 

"Okay," the older scientist nodded. She clasped hands with her assistant and squeezed tight. "Godspeed and good luck."

The assistant checked her clock again and then slowly started to count down. "Five… four… three… two… one."

The giant tie dye papier-mâché volcano they'd spent the entire morning creating began to rumble with interest.

The two watched with bated breath as the structure hummed and shudder and began to seep glorious blue and pink bubbles from its lid.

The older scientist smiled and was ready to call the experiment a success. Until the volcano kept going and going… and going. 

The scientist was confused. She hadn't put nearly enough baking soda and vinegar to produce so much "lava".

And right as she turned to her assistant to ask what was going on, an epic boom of multicolor slime erupted from the papier-mâché volcano and splatter its entire vicinity with thick and gooey gunk. Even leaping over the clear plastic shield to douse the two scientists in its sticky mess.

"Uggh!" Iris West exclaimed as she whipped off her goggles and touched her soiled hair. "What on earth!?"

Her young assistant, though shocked by the magnitude of the blast, couldn't help but squeal with excitement and clap her hands loudly. "It worked!"

"Dr. West," the older scientist clipped. "What happened?"

The child looked up at the woman and saw the thick, oozing slime all over her face and hair. She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, mama. I didn't think it'd be that messy."

Iris quirked an eyebrow expectantly. Dawn admitted her crime. "I added cornstarch and water into the volcano when you were in the kitchen. I wanted to make Oobleck. Like in the story. I wanted to see what it would do.”

“And what have we learned, Doctor?” Iris interrogated.

“That Oobleck is very messy when you blow it up?” Dawn shrugged.

Iris laughed and sighed. 

She couldn't stay mad at the curious young mind before her. Though, she did look around regretfully at the complete mess that was now their dining room. 

She was at least even more grateful at her choice to keep today’s science lesson inside instead of in the backyard.

Dawn and Iris West had just moved to this affluent, bustling Harlem neighborhood and Iris had decided she didn't want to make her neighbors too weary of her by conducting loud, messy experiments in the backyard.

She'd given Dawn a choice of experiments to try this week, hoping to smooth out the rough edges the move had wrought. 

Dawn had spent her whole life on sprawling university campuses and spacious company properties that she and her mother lived in over the years. And now, it seemed, Iris had moved them into a snow globe. 

Picturesque and idyllic, but cramped and crowded.

Though their own two-story brownstone was more than enough space for them, Iris knew how cramped a child's mind could feel in the wrong environment. 

And though she was cognizant of how tight New York could feel sometimes, Iris didn't regret the move. Not one bit.

Asia and Europe were great and everything, but Dawn was getting older. And she was forming an identity. And Iris wanted that to be molded by her own black heritage. 

She wanted her to experience art and music and innovation and that meant returning to their home country after almost five years abroad.

With the majority of the neighborhood being owned by black residents, the block was alive with vibrant energy and culture and she knew that Dawn would be so much better for it. 

These new Saturday morning experiments were just a way to keep Dawn's interest in S.T.E.M. piqued while the rest of her week was immersed in the arts.

Iris West wasn't new when it came to the balancing act of trying to raise a multifaceted, ambitious kid in the world.

The vivacious and eccentric single mother was also a renowned scientist and businesswoman. 

And she constantly used her skill set to shape her child's brilliant mind, care-free mind. Dawn's upbringing hadn't exactly been linear to say the least, but Iris was sure her daughter was already reaping the benefits of her unique childhood. 

Cycling between homeschool and public school and moving to different countries every few months was a lot, but Dawn thrived.

She was a free spirit who valued education and individualistic creative expression.

And luckily for Dawn, Iris had always found a way to intertwine both of those pillars in her upbringing. 

Even now as she looked around at the state of her house and glanced at the clock to calculate what little time they had before their flight, Iris shrugged off the responsibility of tonight's work seminar in favor of further expanding Dawn's creative initiative. 

She reached over and scooped up a huge chunk of Oobleck and marched it towards the kitchen. 

"Alright," she called to her assistant. "Let's see what happens when we drop this off the roof!"

Donovan Allen had always been a bit of an odd duck. But, ever since the lightning storm, his eccentricities had skyrocketed. 

He talked to the chickens a lot. And the old goat.

And he liked to spend his weekend mornings conversing with the blue jay in the birdhouse outside his bedroom window.

His father always told him how important it was to care about nature and Donovan Allen had taken those lessons to heart. He was comforted by animals. He enjoyed the outdoors.

Though his father was adamant about the fact that just because they lived on a large farm, that didn't mean Donovan should spend his days hauling manure and looking after livestock.

Barry Allen had spent the vast majority of his time carefully curating a life for his son that made him feel seen and comfortable and celebrated in every aspect of his life.

He loved his son and regarded him as precious treasure. And he was comforted to know how much Donovan loved life on their large Georgia farm.

Barry was always hesitant to bring up upsetting news or disagreeable topics that could disrupt the peace of their home. 

But, Barry was learning more and more that those types of discussions were now becoming increasingly unavoidable.

Barry Allen sighed and bookmarked the airline confirmation page on his laptop. Then he closed it and turned to look outside the tall living room window.

He watched his son laugh and run around his large home playground for a few minutes. 

When Donovan noticed his father looking through the large window, he stopped and waved to him. 

Barry smiled and waved back. He swallowed his dread and gestured for Donovan to come inside. 

As Donovan came closer, Barry felt his heart clench. 

He hoped that afternoon session outside would be enough to cushion the blow of the news he was about to bring. And he hoped it wouldn't crush the tiny grin on his son's face.

It did. 

"I don't want you to go!"

“I have to, Donovan,” Barry repeated, trying to get his son to understand. “I’m sorry.”

“Can I come with you?" Donovan begged. " _Please_?”

"You have school on Monday," Barry reminded him. "Your first day back since the accident. You need to stay home, buddy. Be well-rested and ready for the day."

Donovan shook his head. "But, I want to come with you."

Barry sighed. "If you come with me, we would have to catch the first flight back right after the conference is done. That would be at midnight. There’s no time difference between here and Peru. You can't stay up that late."

"I can stay up that late," Donovan assured his father. "Promise!"

"No,” Barry exhaled. “I meant you _shouldn't_ stay up that late. It's not good for you."

“I don’t like it when you’re gone,” Donovan mumbled sadly. “The house is too quiet.”

“You have fun with Ms. Maisie,” Barry tried to remind him. “She has all those card games that she teaches you. You like those.”

“Ms. Maisie’s old,” Donovan grumbled. “She falls asleep all the time while we’re playing. And she doesn’t let me share my dinner with Gertie.”

Gertie was the stray cat Donovan had recently taken a liking to. The tabby cat had originally lived in the alley behind the elementary school. When he noticed it one recess, Donovan began funneling half his snack and lunch to the feline. Slowly warming it up to him. Until one day the old cat followed the young boy all the way home, where it had remained ever since.

Barry was wary of the stray cat himself and didn't fault the babysitter for not letting Donovan interact with it. But, he knew his son's sensitivities very well.

"We can leave a big meal out for Gertie so that she'll be nice and fed over the weekend. How about that?"

Donovan's eyes grew misty. "Please, don't go," he whispered desperately. 

Barry's heart cracked. He pulled his son close and looked at him squarely. 

"I'm sorry," he apologized gently. "But, I have to, Donovan. You know every time I go, it's only because I'm trying to learn everything I can to help you. I just want to know how best to keep you safe."

Donovan looked down and wiped his eyes. 

Then he nodded slowly. 

"Okay, dad," Donovan finally relented solemnly. He slid away from his father and off the couch. "I understand."

Barry felt horrible and if it was any other situation, he'd grab his laptop and cancel his flight. But, he knew he couldn't waver on this. 

He couldn't afford to miss this conference. It'd been almost five months since the horrible accident that had almost taken Donovan's life and Barry was no closer to finding out any real, concrete answers about what his son's future would look like.

Barry didn't even know how he'd held things together this long. But, he could feel himself running out of time.

The world had changed in an instant and he needed to learn everything he possibly could about the new life they'd found themselves in.

Donovan announced that he wanted to go back outside and play and Barry reluctantly allowed him. He wanted to stay and reassure Donovan more, but it wouldn't do either of them good to drag out the inevitable.

Barry sighed again and rubbed his eyes and went upstairs to pack a bag.

By the time he was done sorting enough clothes for a two day trip and confirming plans with the nanny, Barry wandered back downstairs expecting Donovan to be back inside. But, the house was empty. 

So was Donovan's jungle gym.

Barry put on some shoes and trekked further out back.

He walked through the fields and eventually came around the side of the chicken coop, certain that he'd find his son among the livestock. 

And sure enough, he heard Donovan's gentle voice conversing with the animals. 

"Daddy's going away again. But, he'll be back before you know it. You don't have to be scared."

Barry pulled up short, keeping his distance so that he could hear what Donovan was saying without being seen. 

"I know it gets real quiet without him, but I'm still here. I'll keep you company. And if it storms while he's away, and the thunder gets too loud, I'll come and keep you safe then too."

Barry's heart clenched. He peeked inside and saw his son sitting on the barn floor. Two hens and a few baby chickens were flocking him and he was petting them gently as he spoke.

Barry gently cleared his throat and Donovan looked up in surprise. 

“Hey, buddy," Barry broached. He took a step inside. "What are you doing in here?”

Donovan shrugged and looked at his hands. “I don’t know.”

Barry came in and took a seat on the floor next to him. “I’m really sorry that I’ve been traveling so much. It’s not fair to you to be home without me all the time.”

Donovan nodded.

“But, you understand why I travel right?" Barry asked. He needed to know that his son understood he wasn't leaving him behind. Or staying away for selfish reasons. "I’m just trying to learn as much as I possibly can about what happened that night. I just want to know the best way I can protect you.”

“I know," Donovan promised. "I understand, dad.”

Barry believed him more when he said it this time. 

He put a soft hand on his cheek. “I'm away a lot. I know. But, that doesn’t mean I’m forgetting about you or that I don’t miss you when I’m gone. Because I miss you so much when I’m not here.”

"I miss you too," Donovan said.

Barry studied him for a beat. Then he nodded his head, deciding to toss aside the rules and put his son's feelings first today.

"You want to go pack a suitcase?" Barry suggested. "We will have to leave in a few hours."

Donovan frowned and then his eyes lit up in understanding. He gasped happily and grinned widely.

"Thanks, daddy!" Donovan threw his small arms around his dad and hugged him tight.

Barry smiled and the tension that had choked him all morning dissolved instantly. 

Donovan scrambled to his feet and announced that he was going to pack. Before he ran fully out the barn, Barry called out to him. 

"Hey. I love you, Donovan," he told his son. " _So_ much."

Donovan grinned. "I love you too, dad!"

He ran out the barn and Barry heard him cheering the whole way to the house. 

Barry laughed and got up off the floor. As he dusted his pants, he spared a second to think just how the hell he was going to pull off catching a red eye, getting back here, and getting Donovan to school all within six hours.

Dawn West was certain that she would like Peru much more if she didn't have to go with her mom to the metahuman seminar that was sure to eat up most of their time together. 

Dawn didn't mind these science conferences. She actually quite enjoyed them. Though the topic of metahumans was a brand-new conference topic, Dawn had been attending lectures and fairs and symposiums of all kinds for as long as she could remember. 

Her mother always took her along wherever she went. At just eight, Dawn had already been to just about every country in the world. 

She liked traveling. And she liked listening to scientists talk about things she barely understood. 

But, what Dawn didn't like was when emergencies at said conferences forced her and her mom to cut their usual sight-seeing excursions short and rush over before Dawn could see the Magic Water Circuit Tour in Parque de la Reserva.

To make matters worse, what was described as an emergency and a 'serious problem' only took about five minutes for her mom to resolve. But, it was too late to go back to the fountains. At least, that's what her mom said every time Dawn asked if they could leave.

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Iris said. "We'll make time and go tomorrow before our flight. Okay?"

Dawn sighed and begrudgingly agreed. She followed her mom upstairs to their hotel room so that they could get showered and changed for the conference about to start in the hotel's ballroom.

An hour later, she and her mother were stepping back into the hotel lobby, now teeming with hundreds of people from all over the world.

Iris held Dawn close as she walked over to the sign in table for a name tag. 

Dawn watched her mother's elegant handwriting sketch out her name on the white adhesive.

When she was done, Dawn tugged on her mother’s skirt, trying to discreetly grab her attention. 

Iris bent down to Dawn's level and listened intently as she whispered in her ear.

Iris smiled with amusement and nodded once. She straightened up and took another blank name card and a sharpie and handed them to her daughter. Dawn smiled and took the tools.

She walked over to an empty table that she could actually reach and she took great care to write her full name clearly and boldly on her name tag. She unpeeled the sticker and proudly slapped the tag on her chest.

"Perfect," Iris complimented, grinning. She held out her hand and Dawn took it diligently as her mother led her into the crowded, grand hall of the hotel.

"Stay close, okay?" Iris instructed. "I don't want you getting lost.

"Okay, mama," Dawn agreed.

She stuck to her mother like glue as they took laps around the room, greeting and conversing with curious colleagues, scientists, geneticists, and physicians from all over the globe.

A few of Iris’s close friends in the science community who knew about Dawn's accident looked at her with curiosity, eagerly asking her questions about her well-being and recovery. 

Dawn soon grew bored of the looky loos and the redundant inquiries about her health and she decided to drone everyone out until something interesting caught her attention. 

After signing in and taking a few laps around the conference hall, Barry thought to open the program and see who the actual guest lecturers were.

This conference had been such a last minute find, Barry hadn't had the chance to do the deep research he normally did regarding these events. He knew the company well. Or at least heard it enough in passing to trust the validity of the conference. 

CitiGlobe Laboratories was one of the leading research facilities in the world. And its recent shift into metahuman research made it _the_ premier leader on all things meta. Though just about everything they did was under lock and key, they had been in the news a lot the last few months. 

Barry had to admit, with everything going on, he hadn't exactly been on top of this company's news like he should've been. But, he was hoping this lecture would change that.

He knew it was in his best interest to network with this company specifically. If anyone had a chance of giving him answers, CitiGlobe Laboratories was his best bet. 

Barry unfurled the thick booklet in hand and was skimming to the guest speakers section when a woman bumped into him harshly. 

The collision was enough to knock his breath, but then the scalding hot coffee she'd spilled singed his hands. 

Barry yelped in pain and quickly pushed Donovan out of the way so that he wouldn't get burned too. 

"Oh my goodness! I'm _so_ sorry, sir!" The woman exclaimed. "I wasn't looking where I was going!"

Iris straightened up from fixing Dawn's cardigan just as a man and woman bustled past her towards the bathrooms. She spared a glance at their retreating figures and then looked towards the large clock hanging above her.

The conference was about to start and Iris had to make her way inside.

"Okay, sweetie, Allie is right over there," Iris pointed to the young intern who usually accompanied them on international trips and watched Dawn when Iris was otherwise preoccupied. "She's gonna watch you for the rest of the night and then put you to bed upstairs okay? I'll see you in the morning."

Dawn sighed, already knowing the drill. Her time with her mom was up. She wouldn't be allowed to sit for the actual conference because it was scheduled to go late into the night.

She'd much rather stay with her mom all night, but Dawn knew the drill. And at least Allie was fun and braided her hair whenever she wanted.

"Okay, mama," Dawn agreed. 

Iris swept Dawn into the tightest hug. "I love you and I'm going to miss you _so_ much."

Dawn giggled. "It's only a few hours, mama."

Iris shook her head dramatically. "Doesn't matter. I'm gonna spend every second missing you."

She smacked a long, loud kiss on her daughter's cheek and Dawn's sweet laughter warmed Iris's soul.

When she pulled back she smiled and cradled the child's face. "We'll go to the Parque de la Reserva tomorrow, okay? Promise."

Dawn nodded eagerly and Iris beckoned the babysitter over. Before she left, Iris gave her daughter one last hug. "Sweet dreams, my love," she whispered in her ear.

Iris greeted Allie and repeated her usual care instructions and then she was off to the ballroom to give her opening speech.

Donovan Allen stuck to his dad like glue as they got settled in their hotel room and then went down to the conference. 

Donovan took the time to soak in as much as he could of the grand hotel and the bustling, important looking people all around them.

His hand tested firmly in his father's and Donovan was perfectly content like this. 

He was so glad to even be there, that he didn't pay attention to the confusing science-y jargon his father was engaging in with a doctor he'd been introduced to. 

Donovan looked up happily, watching his dad talk. 

Donovan's dad was his best friend.

His hero. 

The best parent in the whole wide world.

And Donovan was ecstatic that he'd been able to come with him on this trip.

Though, Donovan remembered as he looked down at his digital watch, they didn't have much longer together. His dad would be putting him to bed soon to make sure he was well-rested for school tomorrow.

But, Donovan would've been perfectly satisfied with the short time he'd get to spend with his father. Unfortunately for the young boy, a clumsy older woman and a steaming cup of coffee abruptly ended Donovan's idyllic tour with his dad.

The woman, who identified herself as a doctor, quickly ushered his dad to the back to treat what she was sure would be severe burns. 

And his father barely had time to pull Donovan along and then tell him to wait right outside the door that the doctor pushed him through. 

Barry repeated his instruction for Donovan to not move from that spot and got the young boy's promise he wouldn't before the door closed behind them and Barry was left to be treated by the remorseful physician. 

Dawn and Allie didn't go upstairs right away after Iris left them to start off the night's speeches.

Dawn convinced her caretaker to let her linger around the grand hall and read some of the information pamphlets and workbooks laid out for the guests.

Dawn did a few laps, reading as much about DNA and radiation energy as she pleased. When she grew bored with this, she looked around for her babysitter.

Dawn noticed Allie was distracted talking to a woman in a white lab coat. She kept blinking her eyes a lot and twirling her hair and she laughed way louder than Dawn had ever heard her laugh.

Dawn very slowly and very carefully began to inch away from her babysitter. At first she would look over and make sure Dawn was still in her vicinity and the child would have to freeze and pretend she wasn't doing anything. 

But, eventually Allie got so engrossed in the conversation she was having, that she stopped looking Dawn's way. And Dawn took the opportunity to make her escape.

As the child hurried out the great hall and past the ballroom, she could hear her mother speaking passionately on stage. Dawn resisted the temptation to go in and listen and instead walked towards the elevator. 

She decided she'd first explore the tip top of the hotel, looking for an adventure and eventually work her way back down to Allie.

Dawn was so excited to explore the grand hotel that she ran around the corner without a second thought and she brutally crashed into a small figure standing diligently against the wall.

Both children groaned and fell to the floor. 

Dawn West rubbed her sore shoulder and Donovan Allen rubbed his throbbing chest.

"Oops! Sorry!" both children said at the same time.

"That hurt," they said again in perfect symphony as they carefully stood up.

Dawn looked at the boy in front of her suspiciously. Donovan did the same.

"That's weird," they said in sync again. 

Dawn frowned. "Stop copying me."

Donovan's eyes widened and then he returned her furrow. "You were copying _me_."

Dawn exhaled and dusted herself off. Then she picked up the boy's papers that had fallen and handed them back to him.

He thanked her and as they traded off, their hands touched.

Both children felt a spark pass between them.

They gasped and jumped away from each other.

"What was that?" Dawn asked.

"I don't know," Donovan giggled and shook out his hand. The sensation had tickled. "That was weird."

Dawn shrugged and turned to leave before curiosity made her ask. "Why are you just standing here?"

"I'm waiting for my dad," the boy pointed to a closed door behind him. "He hurt his hands. They're giving him a Band-Aid I think."

When the boy moved his arm, Dawn noticed his name tag more clearly.

 _Don Allen_.

Dawn grinned and pointed to his name tag. "That's my middle name."

The young boy looked down at his own name and furrowed his brow. "Allen is your middle name?” Dawn nodded. “Isn't that a boy's name?" Donovan asked, unconvinced.

"It's anyone's name," Dawn shrugged.

Donovan considered this for a beat, before he nodded, realizing she was absolutely correct. "My real name is Donovan. But, there wasn't enough room to write that."

He pointed to the middle name on his name tag again. "I have a different type of middle name too,” he revealed to her. “It's a place. Well… a direction."

“What is it?” Dawn asked with interest. 

“West,” Donovan stated.

Dawn grinned widely. "Hey, that's my last name!"

“Really!?”

“Yeah! See?” she moved her cardigan out of the way so that the boy could see the name she’d neatly written on her nametag. 

_Dawn Allen West._

“You know,” Donovan mulled. “If you flip both our middle and last names, we have the same names. And if you rearrange all three words and then say our full names out loud, they’re the _exact_ same name. Well, they sound exactly the same.”

Dawn looked back and forth between their name tags. It took her a minute to see what he meant. “It’s a homophone.”

“What’s that?” Donovan questioned. 

“Words that sound the same, but they mean different things," Dawn supplied. "Like a flower you smell and flour you bake with.”

“Homophones,” Donovan repeated slowly, trying out the new word and thinking about the concept. She was right. There were a bunch of words he could think of that sounded the same but meant different things. "Wow you're smart!"

Dawn smiled at the compliment and shrugged again.

“Are you here with your mom and dad?” she wondered, looking around. It just occurred to her that Donovan Allen was the first kid she'd ever seen at one of these things. She wondered why he was here too.

“Just my dad," he answered. "You?”

“Just my mom," Dawn revealed. "It’s always just me and my mom.”

Donovan knew it was rude to ask for more answers than were offered, as Ms. Maisie always said. But he couldn’t help it. 

Curiosity overcame him. 

There was something about this girl that was so like him. He didn't know what it was. But them having the exact same name and them each having only one parent here was drawing him in even more.

“What happened to your dad?” Donovan queried.

Dawn shrugged indifferently. “I don’t know. I just never had one.”

Donovan's eyes widened and he took an unconscious step towards her. “I never had a mom. I mean I used to…. I think I did. But she’s gone now.”

Dawn rocked on her feet. She heard the elevator up ahead ding and saw a stern-looking woman exit. But, instead of hurrying to catch it and start her expedition around the hotel, she leaned against the wall, next to her new acquaintance. 

Dawn decided Donovan Allen was much more interesting than free reign around a hotel. 

"How old are you?" Dawn asked the boy. 

"Eight," he responded.

"Me too!"

"Do you live here?" Dawn asked.

"No, I live in America," Donovan corrected.

"Me too!" Dawn excitedly confirmed again.

"Are you right-handed or left?" Donovan wondered.

"Left," Dawn held up her hand.

"So am I!" Donovan grinned.

The two laughed and settled into a game of trivia. 

"What's your favorite food?"

"Brownies."

And back and forth they went.

From his spot behind the closed door Barry could faintly hear Donovan giggling and talking somewhere down the hall. 

He had no idea who he could be talking to and he was surprised Donovan would strike up a conversation with anyone so quickly, let alone a stranger, but the sound of his son's laughter always made Barry happy.

And he needed the pick-me-up after being assaulted by a woman's burning hot cup of coffee like this. 

The guilty party, a surgeon who'd introduced herself as Abigail, was at least remorseful enough to treat his hands immediately to prevent a serious burn. 

Even though his hands throbbed a little, Barry felt perfectly fine to go back into the symposium that he knew he was already missing, but Abigail was insistent she apply ointment and bandage his hands. 

The problem with this was that Abigail was _extremely_ slow moving. Barry was certain she needed glasses and as she worked his hands, squinting her eyes as she went, Barry understood how she crashed into him earlier. 

He admired her handiwork. She had gentle, precise hands, but Barry feared he'd miss the entire talk at the pace she was going. 

"I'm fine, Ms. Abigail," Barry insisted for the dozenth time. "Really."

The older woman impatiently tapped his shoulder to keep him seated. "Almost done," she murmured.

Barry sighed and internally groaned.

Back outside, two eight-year-olds had volleyed over two dozen questions back and forth to each other and found that not a single one of their answers deviated from the other's. 

They were perfectly in sync. On every single topic. 

And it was beginning to freak the young children out.

Dawn's brain had already reached a logical conclusion about why this was and it was blaring at her to state what was becoming increasingly obvious, but she refused to voice it just yet.

Her mama had taught her quite a few things about what it meant to be a scientist. The most important of which was to _always_ follow the scientific method. 

Now, she and Donovan Allen had already asked the questions. The next thing Dawn needed was to do background research before she could state her hypothesis.

"Is your dad white?" She asked Donovan when a lull had fallen over them.

Donovan nodded keenly. "Very."

"My mom says my dad was white too," she grinned. 

"Is your mom black?" Donovan quizzed.

Dawn nodded. "Yes."

"My mom's black!" Donovan gasped, still not believing all the similarities between him and his new friend. "At least that's what my dad said."

Dawn had heard enough.

It made no sense and it was impossible and if it were true it meant just about everything in her life had been a lie. But, there was a needling feeling that her theory _was_ the truth and it was possible and it somehow made all the sense in the world.

"Donovan…" Dawn started slowly. She didn't want to scare her friend off. And she didn't want him to think she was weird. But, she _had_ to speak up. "I think my mom is--"

"There you are, Dawnie, I've been looking _everywhere_ for you!"

Dawn turned and saw Allie standing behind her with a relieved expression and her hands on her hips. 

Dawn groaned. 

"You can't just run off like that, Angel Face. Your mom would have my head if you got lost."

"Sorry, Allie," Dawn threw over her shoulder. She was upset she wouldn't be able to tell Donovan what she desperately wanted to tell him.

"Ready to go up?" Allie gestured behind her towards the ballroom. Dawn could hear the speaker now on the mic. It wasn't her mom anymore, but Dawn knew her mom would still be very busy for the rest of the night.

And a light bulb turned on in Dawn's mind. She grinned widely. "I'm sleepy," Dawn told her babysitter. She yawned dramatically to sell it. "Can I just go to bed now instead?"

Allie's face fell and she looked over her shoulder. Towards the girl she'd been talking to earlier. "Um… yeah okay. I guess we can leave now."

Dawn smiled and nodded. She pointed at the boy she'd been talking to. "This is my new friend, uh.. Henry."

Donovan's eyebrows scrunched up in a way Dawn found passingly familiar and she quickly reached over and hugged him. "Bye, Henry!"

When her head was by his, Dawn quickly whispered instructions to him as quickly as she could.

Allie came over and gently pulled her away and Donovan stuttered for a second before he nodded.

As they waited for the elevator to come, Dawn turned back to Donovan. She looked at him imploringly, desperately hoping that he'd keep his word and do as she asked. 

He stared back at her. 

The elevator dinged and Allie got on and pressed their floor. Before his new friend stepped on the lift and out of sight, Donovan put up a hand. "Bye, Dawn." He called.

"Bye," she waved. And then she was gone.

Donovan barely had time to process what Dawn had asked of him and walk back over to the wall he'd been leaning against before the door burst open and his dad came bustling out.

"Okay, I will, I promise," Barry said in response to Abigail's after care instructions for his hand. 

He quickly shut the door behind him and exhaled deeply. He checked his watch. Twenty minutes late. 

He rolled his eyes. Annoying. But, not too terrible. 

He walked over to his son, who looked somewhat distracted, and scooped him up.

Barry tossed him in the air and Donovan's laughter rang out in the now-empty hall. "I'm sorry you had to wait so long, buddy," he apologized.

"It's okay," Donovan told him.

Barry set him back on the ground and he led them towards the ballroom. "Who was that you were talking to earlier? I heard you laughing a lot."

"Oh uh no one," Donovan stammered, following Dawn's advice to keep their talk a secret. "I made a new friend. But, she's gone now."

"I'm sorry," Barry looked down at his son. "Maybe we'll see her again before we leave."

Donovan looked away and bit the inside of his cheek. He didn't tell his father that he was certain he would.

As much as Dawn West always wished she didn't have to spend any time away from her mother during these trips, that night she was infinitely grateful that her mother was somewhere off preoccupied and out of the loop as Dawn laid the groundwork for her great escape. 

It began with her feigning sleepiness to get up to her hotel room. And then when she was there, Dawn began to be so unruly, overactive, and tiresome that Allie eventually became so overwhelmed and frustrated herself, she sent Dawn off to bed and told her not to make a peep for the rest of the night. 

Dawn kept a look of contrition in place as she hauled off to her bed. And once she was alone, she dropped the look of sorrow for a triumphant smile.

She pulled her covers over her head and listened for the telltale signs.

First, she heard Allie grumbling about her and her disobedience. Then she heard the familiar sound of a muffled pop and glass clinking.

Dawn was delighted she'd guessed right about Allie drinking a cup of wine. The eight year old didn't know exactly how the magic drink did what it did, but she did know that whenever her babysitter drank a cup of the stuff- when she thought Dawn was fast asleep- it didn't take long for Allie to fall asleep herself.

Like clockwork, Dawn heard gentle snoring coming from the couch a short while later.

She excitedly slipped out of bed and peeked to check that Allie was really asleep. When she saw she was, Dawn slipped back on her shoes and sweater.

She tiptoed over to Allie and, very carefully, slid the room key out of her pocket. "I'm sorry," Dawn whispered to the older woman, referring to her earlier mood. 

She patted Allie's hair gently. And then she was off.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Barry asked Donovan for the fifth time. He kept walking to the door and then coming back to Donovan's bedside to check on him.

"I'm fine, dad," Donovan promised again.

"Okay, I'll be right downstairs," Barry repeated. "If you need anything just use the room phone to call my cell and I'll be _right_ up, alright?"

"I know," Donovan nodded.

"And I'll be up every half hour to check on you," Barry reiterated. 

Donovan tried to hide his impatience. His dad was now just repeating the same thing over and over again. 

Donovan peeked at the clock on his side table. He groaned lowly. 

Then he yawned loudly to hurry this along. "I'm sleepy, daddy. I want to go to bed."

Barry nodded and quickly stood up. "Okay, sorry. You sleep." He turned off the light and fixed Donovan's blankets. "Good night, buddy."

"Good night, dad," Donovan replied. 

Barry double checked that he was settled and then he walked to the door. 

And then he walked back to the bed and gently kissed his son's head. "I love you."

"Love you too."

"I'll be right downstairs if--"

"Dad!"

Barry laughed and put his hand up. "Okay, okay I'm going. Goodnight."

Donovan waited for the door to close, the lock to click, and the elevator down the hall to ding before he dared climb out of bed. 

He quickly put on his glasses and his shoes and grabbed the extra room key his father had put on the table. He glanced at the clock again, fearing he was late, and then he slipped out the door.

Dawn scuffed her shoes against the marble floors and slid her hands in her pocket. 

Donovan wasn't coming. 

She was sure of it.

He didn't want to keep talking to her and he didn't want to follow the instructions she'd whispered to him earlier. 

Instructions to sneak out after dark and meet her in a secluded part of the hotel. 

Dawn mumbled disappointed words to herself and tried not to tear up.

She'd finally decided to give up and go back up to her bed when she heard hurried footsteps coming down the hall. 

Donovan came around the corner huffing and out of breath. Dawn's smile overtook her face. 

"You came back!" She beamed. 

Donovan nodded. "I promised I would! I can't stay here for a long time. My dad is coming back to check on me in my room in twenty-five minutes," he pointed to the timer he'd set on his digital watch.

Dawn nodded and took Donovan's hand. She sat him down in front of the warm fireplace. There was no point wasting any time. And she was eager to tell him her theory as well. 

"Donovan," she started, picking up their conversation from where they'd ended. "I think we have the same mom and dad."

Donovan's face scrunched up. "Huh?"

"I think my mom is your mom too," Dawn explained. "And I think your dad is also my dad."

Donovan laughed, thinking she was joking. 

But, Dawn stared at him imploringly and Donovan's grin dropped. He shifted his weight uncomfortably. 

"No they're not. That doesn't even make sense. It's not possible."

"Think about it!" Dawn urged. "You've never had a mom. And I've never had a dad. Your dad is white and my dad is white. My mom is black and _your_ mom is black. We both like all the same books and all the same foods and we have the exact same allergies and when we put our hands together before, it sparked! Like we were connected to each other!"

"But, that doesn't…" Donovan shook his head and struggled to put together all the reasons why what she said was flawed. "My dad's never said…"

Donovan cut himself off, realizing something far more important. "Wait a minute, if your mom is my mom and my dad is your dad that makes us brother and sister. You're not my sister. I don't have any sisters or brothers."

"I think I am, Donovan," Dawn smiled excitedly. "I think I'm your sister."

"My dad would have told me if you were. He would know. _And_ he would have told me that your mom is my mom too."

"Does he ever tell you anything about your mom?" Dawn questioned. 

Donovan looked down. "No."

"My mom _never_ talks about my dad to me either," Dawn revealed. "But, I think it's your dad. What's his name?"

"Barry," Donovan supplied. "What's your mom's name?"

"My mom's name is Iris," Dawn said. "Okay, tonight when my mom gets back I'll say your dad's name and see what she says. Maybe she'll be…"

Dawn trailed off when she saw Donovan staring at her with giant, shocked eyes. 

"... What?"

"Y- your mom's name is _Iris_?" Donovan squeaked. 

Dawn nodded slowly. And then her own eyes widened. "You know her, don't you?"

"No!" Donovan insisted. "But, I… I have this…"

He reached under his shirt collar and pulled out a fancy, thin leather necklace. 

"What is that?" Dawn frowned. 

"I've had it since I was born," Donovan stated. "It's a locket." He moved his hand so that Dawn could see the pendant attached to it. It was a beautiful gold flower which held a picture of him as a baby inside. "My dad told me the type of flower this locket is… It's an iris."

Dawn's eyes were locked on the necklace as Donovan spoke. She barely paid his words any attention. She didn't need him to explain what the flower was. 

It was familiar to her after all. 

She'd looked at that same exact gold pendant everyday of her life. 

Wordlessly and with shaking hands that buzzed with excitement, Dawn West reached into her own shirt collar and pulled out her own elegant gold necklace.

She held it out so that Donovan could see a replica of his own locket. "There's a picture of me inside," she whispered. "My mom said I've had it since the day I was born."

Donovan gasped and scooched away from her. 

He was scared and overwhelmed by this revelation. 

And then he slowly came closer once more.

He ever so slowly reached over and touched her locket. It was _exactly_ the same as his.

Donovan carefully clicked hers open. And then he did the same to his own.

He brought the two up side by side and examined the tiny pictures inside.

They were just about identical.

Each held a tiny baby asleep and swaddled up tight.

The only difference was that in Dawn's picture, she was wrapped in a yellow blanket and in Donovan's, he was in a white one.

They looked the same. 

_Exactly_ the same. 

And that made another shocking revelation sound off in Donovan Allen's brain. 

"When's your birthday?" He asked the girl in front of him.

"February 11th," Dawn said. 

Donovan was so shocked. He dropped the lockets and grabbed Dawn's shoulders. 

"Dawn, you're right!" He exclaimed with astounded excitement. "Your mom is my mom and my dad is yours too!"

Dawn grinned widely. She _knew_ she'd been right. And she was so glad Donovan believed her now too.

But, we're not just brother and sister," Donovan continued, halting Dawn's victory dance. "My birthday is February 11th too. Dawn…we're _twins_!"


	2. It Could Be a Dream Come True

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2. UnBeta'd, please excuse any grammar errors.

Barry Allen listened with intense focus to the geneticist speaking on stage. 

As much as Barry loathed to think about that night that changed the world, he had spent just about every waking moment of the last five months researching every single minute detail accessible of the event.

Barry remembered that day in perfect clarity. The clear night sky that suddenly became black and stormy.

Thunder that seemed to shake the very earth. Torrential rain. Screams. The collapsed barn roof. _So_ much broken glass. 

His son, lying so still on his bedroom floor. Sirens. The endless ride in the ambulance to the hospital.

The coma.

He remembered that night and the subsequent nerve-wracking six weeks by his son’s bedside in startling detail.

But, that was only his perspective of events. The particle accelerator explosion had been a global catastrophe.

Hundreds died and hundreds more emerged from the chaos and debris forever changed.

The cause of the catastrophe had been an experiment gone horribly wrong.

A research and development company based in London, England had spent years developing a clean energy source which they boasted could also launch a new age of medical and scientific advancement.

But, on the night of the particle accelerator's activation, something went horrifically wrong.

Perhaps a misstep in calculations or malfunctions, perhaps an underestimation of just how much power the device could yield. No one had yet figured out the cause.

But, the moment the particle accelerator turned on, it exploded. This plunged half the world into darkness. It triggered tidal waves and deadly weather changes all around the globe. But, most importantly, the explosion released a monumental wave of dark matter that engulfed the entire planet followed by an avalanche of radiation that still wasn't fully contained to this day.

The aftermath of this calamity was indescribable.

Granted, it would take Barry months to comprehend this. Because the night of the explosion, his focus was entirely on one person. 

His son.

Barry had thought he lost Donovan when the young boy had been struck by a bolt of lightning that came whipping through his bedroom window that night of the explosion. 

After Barry found Donovan on his bedroom floor, it took over fifteen minutes for him to restart his son's heart. By then the paramedics had arrived and had tried to pry the father off the boy, but Barry refused to give up.

He'd saved his life.

But, that was only where their nightmare began.

Because Donovan slipped into a coma. And he remained unconscious for twenty-five days.

And when Donovan woke up, the arresting fear that had strangled Barry for six weeks morphed into a new kind.

Because his son was different.

He emerged from the coma different.

He no longer needed the eyeglasses he'd worn since he was a baby. 

He no longer had remnants of scars or bruising from falls and scraps. 

And he was fast.

Incredibly fast.

Impossibly fast.

From Barry's extensive research and amateur estimations, Donovan West Allen was the fastest boy alive.

Every day since the explosion more and more reports emerged of survivors who'd acquired special abilities. 

Some of those abilities were curses of their own and would subject the survivors to lives of misery. Some abilities allowed survivors to turn to a life of crime and cruelty. Other abilities, though harmless enough, made the survivors targets of crime and cruelty themselves.

Despite the varying degrees of powers and only a sliver of understanding from the general public, specially-abled survivors of the particle accelerator explosion quickly became ostracized and vilified by all.

There was a special stigma attached to them. These 'metahumans' as they quickly became coined.

This turn of public anger and a lack of knowledge regarding metahumans made Barry decide to never disclose his son's powers. To anyone.

He pulled Donovan from school and took on homeschooling the child in between his treks all around the world to speak to and listen to scientists and doctors whose research was meta-based.

There weren't many.

Even less so who were willing to look at metahumans in a positive light.

Which was why, as Barry sat in that conference in Peru, he felt his hope and his optimism for a brighter future for his son soar higher than ever before.

Not only did CitiGlobe Laboratories speak about metahumans with compassion and sympathy, the metahuman research advancements that they unveiled were light years ahead of any other facilities.

As speaker after speaker went on stage, Barry felt the weight of the world he'd been carrying lift from his shoulders.

He felt that his son was in good hands here. He felt like there was now a possible light at the end of a very dark, lonely, and confusing tunnel.

He felt like there was a chance Donovan's life could return to normal after all.

"So, where do you live in America?" Donovan Allen asked his newfound sister as they laid side by side on the marble floor, looking up at the beautiful ceiling artwork.

"Me and my mom just moved to New York City last month," Dawn revealed. "Where do you live?"

"I live in Georgia," Donovan told her. "On a farm."

Dawn thought about what it must be like to live on a farm. She imagined it must've been fun and full of adventure.

She thought about what it must be like to live on a farm with your dad.

Probably wonderful.

"What's your dad like?" Dawn questioned shyly.

"He's the best," Donovan grinned. "He's nice and patient and he's really funny. He makes the best food and he always makes me feel better. He's my best friend."

Dawn smiled too as she listened to Donovan's description.

Dawn had never before really thought about what her father must have been like or who he was for that matter.

She was perfectly content in her life with her mom. She liked it being just the two of them and she never wanted for a dad.

But, now that she knew she had one and she knew his name, Dawn's interest in meeting him was through the roof.

"What's mom like?" Donovan questioned. 

Dawn struggled to put into words all that her mother was. She eventually landed on two words. "She's perfect."

Donovan sighed wistfully as he used the simple phrase to conjure up a woman in his mind. 

Dawn didn't yet know this but, unlike her, Donovan _had_ thought about his missing parent before.

Over the years Donovan had wondered and questioned and daydreamed about the mother he'd never met.

Despite his father's sealed lips, Donovan always believed his mother was someone good. Someone loving and kind and beautiful.

He'd spent many nights wishing on stars to meet her someday. He never dreamed he'd meet his sister instead. His _twin_.

Donovan still couldn't believe it. 

But, he knew that this was his sister. He knew it in his very bones.

All too soon, however, his wrist watch vibrated and shattered the idyllic daydreaming he'd immersed himself in. 

Donovan scrambled to his feet. 

Dawn startled out of her own wistful musings and looked up at him.

"What's wrong?"

"I have to go," Donovan rushed out. "My dad is coming up to check on me in two minutes. I have to get back to my bed."

Dawn understood his dilemma and immediately grabbed his hand. Then she raced him to the elevator, up to his floor, and into his room with exactly thirty seconds to spare. 

Dawn slid under the hotel bed and Donovan jumped under his covers and closed his eyes with just seconds to spare. 

At the very last second, Donovan realized he'd forgotten to take his eyeglasses off and had no choice but to throw his hoodie tightly over his face and pretend to snore just as the hotel room beeped and his father entered. 

Donovan's heart hammered in his chest as his dad's gentle creeping came closer and closer and he prayed with all his might that the girl under his bed didn't make a peep.

His dad came up alongside him, and Donovan felt his hand on his back.

Barry leaned down to check that Donovan was actually asleep. He had put his hoodie on over his face, but the sound of the child's gentle snoring was enough to alleviate the anxiety Barry was wound in the entire time he'd been downstairs.

He gently kissed Donovan's head over his sweater and made a silent exit back downstairs.

Dawn didn't breathe the entire time that the older man was in the room. But, when the door locked behind him and the elevator down the hall dinged, she eagerly slid out from under the bed and hopped on up beside Donovan. 

"Was that him?" She bounced excitedly. "Was that our dad?"

Donovan slipped off his hood. "Yeah that was him."

He set another timer on his watch. "He'll be back again in thirty minutes."

"So, you're just allowed to stay in this room all by yourself?" Dawn questioned. "You don't have to have a babysitter?"

Donovan nodded. 

Dawn tried not to pout. 

Her mom would never allow that. 

But, then again, Dawn knew that her mom had very good reason to hire a nanny to watch her closely when she couldn't. 

Mischief was practically Dawn West’s middle name.

She thought of her mom.

How she'd come up after the conference and quietly tell Allie she was free to go. 

How she'd come over and check on Dawn sleeping before she got ready for bed herself.

Dawn thought about how her mother would wake her up. Excitedly proclaiming the day perfect for an adventure just like she did every morning. 

Then Dawn wondered about her father. What wake up routine did he have with Donovan?

Did he jump into bed with Donovan like her mother did her? Did he kiss his face dramatically and talk about how much he missed him even though it'd only been a few short hours apart? Did he make elaborate breakfasts and hold his hand the entire walk to school or to the park? 

The more she wondered, the more consumed she became with the thought of seeing it firsthand.

Of experiencing what Donovan got to experience everyday. 

Of meeting her dad.

"Do you want to go back to that empty lounge?" Donovan broke her out of her thoughts.

"No," Dawn responded. "We can hang out here."

Donovan nodded and made room for her on the bed. 

When they were situated comfortably across from each other, Donovan fixed his glasses and tried to dive back into the Q&A they'd been having upstairs.

"What's mom's favorite color?" He wondered.

But, Dawn didn't answer. 

She couldn't. 

Not after she'd been so close to her father a few minutes ago. He'd been right here in this room. By this bed. 

He'd been right here and Dawn wished that she could've seen what he looked like. Or heard his voice. Or asked him himself how he liked to spend his mornings. 

Asking questions through Donovan would no longer satisfy her. It didn't even appeal to her anymore. 

Because the two of them didn't _need_ to speak on behalf of their parents. Their parents were here. Right now in this very hotel.

Dawn and Donovan could get the answers to their most burning questions directly from the source. 

That's what a good scientist did after all.

"Donovan," Dawn breached slowly. "You should be able to ask our mom herself what her favorite color is. And I should be able to ask our dad. If we want to know about them, then don't you think they should tell us themselves?"

"But, how can we do that? Wait for them to come up and tell them that we found each other?"

Dawn's eyes twinkled with mischief and her mouth slowly morphed into a wide smile. "I have an even better idea!" 

Ten minutes later, the two kids stood in front of the bathroom mirror in Dawn's hotel room. 

Allie still snored away on the couch and the kids were using her slumber to their advantage.

"Are you sure this is gonna work, Dawn?" Donovan whispered as he handed her his sweatshirt. "What if they see us before morning?"

"They won't!" Dawn insisted again. "My mom wouldn't wake me up if I'm already sleeping. And neither will Allie. No one will notice."

Dawn fashioned her large silk bonnet over Donovan's hair. "Just wear this. And make sure the covers are over your face."

Donovan looked at himself in the mirror rocking the sleep cap and he couldn't help but giggle. 

"I guess you're right," he relented, letting his apprehension slip away. "And dad won't wake you up either. We have a deal. I'm supposed to stay asleep until we get back to Georgia."

"See?" Dawn gleamed. "It's a perfect plan!"

Donovan smiled. He pulled out his eyeglasses and slipped them into Dawn's face. 

Even though she was a girl, and her face was different than his, she looked just like him in his sweater and glasses.

"This will work," Donovan said, assuring her and himself. "It will be wonderful. We'll have one day with them. One perfect day."

Dawn nodded excitedly. "And when they switch us back, they'll _have_ to see each other again. They'll have to talk."

"And we can make them fall in love again," Donovan gushed, finishing her sentence. 

The two children had decided almost immediately that it was in everyone's best interest if their parents got back together by the end of the week. 

The eight year olds would have settled for a shorter timeline, but Dawn knew how busy her mother was. And Donovan figured his dad needed some time to get certain things in order back at home. 

Even still, a week was just fine.

And, armed with their confidence as matchmakers, the two children would do their absolute best to make it happen.

"It'll be easy," Donovan waved off. 

Once the kids had properly swapped outfits, Dawn took one last look around the room and at her zonked out babysitter and then she had Donovan walk her to the door. 

"You stay here, okay?" She instructed as she carefully opened it. 

"Okay," Donovan nodded. He snapped his fingers, remembering she'd need his room key. He fished it out and gave it to her. 

"We'll have our perfect day tomorrow," he whispered excitedly to her. 

Dawn couldn't contain her joy and she threw her small arms around him. "This is gonna be so fun!"

She pulled back just as she heard the elevator ding. Two young men in lab coats holding hands stepped off, not paying any mind to the kids. But, Dawn heard one of them mention something about "things winding down." She knew it was really time to go. 

"I'll see you soon," she promised him as she stepped back and turned towards the lift. "Say hi to mom for me!"

"Okay, I will! You say hi to dad," Donovan returned. 

Dawn skipped down the hall and pressed the elevator button. It opened, but before she got on, Donovan called out to her.

"Yeah?" Dawn said.

"I'm really glad I met you," Donovan said sincerely.

Dawn's bright smile beamed even from all the way down the hall. She waved at him and then she was gone. 

Donovan closed the door and looked back at Dawn's nanny to make sure she was still asleep. 

Then he tiptoed over to his own bed and quietly slipped under the covers. 

He thought he'd stay up all night. As visions and daydreams about the possibilities of tomorrow danced around his head. 

He was so excited, his heart felt like it would burst out of his chest.

Maybe it was because this adrenaline-filled evening had ended in a soft and warm bed that Donovan Allen's eyes miraculously began to droop.

Not even the child's excitement and anticipation over meeting the woman he'd dreamed about his entire life was a match for his normal bedtime.

Donovan began to doze off. 

But, he welcomed the slumber. 

Because he knew whatever glorious strange he was about to enter about his mother still would pale in comparison to the real thing that was just a few short hours out of reach.

The first thing Donovan registered as he regained wakefulness was the gentle smell of coffee somewhere in the room. 

And then he heard soft footsteps somewhere by the base of the bed. 

And that was all the preparation he had before he suddenly felt someone jump in the bed and his face was being peppered with kisses through the thin bed sheet over his head.

"Rise and shine, Sunshine!" a melodic voice sang right by his ear. "I got us breakfast. And also a whole box of donuts because we're on vacation."

Donovan was frozen still. He had no idea what to do now.

He'd dreamed of this moment his entire life and yet he couldn't form a single thought. 

This was his mother talking. 

That was her voice. 

Those had been her warm kisses on his face. 

Those were her gentle hands tapping a soft, rhythmic beat along his back.

Donovan had dreamed a million dreams of meeting his mom. And yet, he remained frozen.

"It's a perfect day for adventure!" She enthused when he remained perfectly still under the covers.

He felt her lean even closer to him.

"Are you still tired, sweetie? I hope you didn't stay up late. We had a deal."

Though, he knew he should probably speak up and reveal himself, Donovan couldn't help but notice other things about his mom too. 

She smelled clean. Like fancy perfume.

But, not the stuffy kind. She smelled like citrus and vanilla and home.

And her voice was like a song.

His mom.

Donovan's smile was almost too big for his face. 

This was his mom. 

She tapped his back one more time and then climbed off the bed. 

He heard her walk away, somewhere towards the right and he heard the sound of something being poured. 

The smell of coffee got stronger.

Donovan hoped that she liked him. He hoped that harder than he'd ever hoped for anything.

"Dawn, sweetie," his mother called again. "It's time to get up. We have a lot to do and I want us to have breakfast together. Don't you want to explore the city?"

As he heard his mother fiddling around by the hotel kitchenette, Donovan decided it was time to come clean. 

He couldn't hide under the covers anymore. He wanted to spend what little time he’d have with her after all.

So the young boy gathered his courage and pulled himself up from the layers of blankets. 

He climbed out of bed. 

His mother's back was to him. 

She was dancing a little too herself as she munched on a donut and scrolled through her phone. But the limited view he had of her knocked his breath away. 

He took in her beautiful, curly dark brown hair and her fancy skirt and blouse.

He thought she looked perfect.

And when he finally was able to see her face, the shocked expression that immediately morphed her features wasn't enough to mask its magnificence.

Donovan couldn't help but smile at her. 

She was like a beautiful painting.

"Hello!" He beamed.

Iris’s jaw dropped at the sight of the small boy standing in her hotel room.

The raspberry donut she'd been eating fell unceremoniously out her mouth and onto the floor. 

Though it had a much softer landing than her cell phone that dropped hard from her frozen fingers. 

Even distracted, Iris noted the unforgiving _**crack**_ with which it met the marble floor. 

But, the unmistakably shattered device was none of her concern at the moment. 

Her heart started pounding in confusion. 

She looked behind the child and saw that the bed that had just been occupied was now empty. And then her heart started pounding in fear. 

She looked around quickly. 

Had she walked into the wrong room!? 

No. She saw her and Dawn's bags by the fireplace and her lecture notes on the table.

So, she was in the right room. But, this child was not. 

And her _own_ child, Iris realized with a chilling revelation, was nowhere in sight. 

"W-what's going on?" She managed to stammer out. "Where's my daughter? Who are you?"

He smelled good.

That was Dawn's first thought when she entered her father's orbit for the very first time. 

It was all she could go off of after all. 

It was pitch black in the hotel room and he didn't say a word as he entered it and carefully scooped her up out of bed and into his arms.

After lying in bed, in the dark hotel room for some time, Dawn heard some movement in the hallways and figured that the conference had finally come to a close.

When the hotel door finally beeped and a figure entered, Dawn nerves skyrocketed. 

Dawn's heart hammered and she double checked that Donovan's hoodie was wrapped pulled tightly around her face as her dad carried her out the hotel room, down to the lobby, and into a taxi.

She was a little confused by the lack of communication on his end and feared she'd already been caught. Before she remembered Donovan's words about the deal he'd made with their dad. 

He wouldn't wake her or create a fuss because Donovan was supposed to sleep through the entire flight.

The ride to the airport started off extremely tense as Dawn clamped into herself and tried not to give anything away. 

But, by the end of it, as her dad soothingly rubbed her back and kept a tight hold of her close to him, Dawn found herself relaxed and happy. She felt protected.

Like she was wrapped in a warm blanket and not just a hoodie.

That's what he dad smelled like, Dawn decided as the taxi came to a stop and they carefully got out.

He smelled like warmth and security and comfort.

She heard him softly thank their driver and she heard some bags rustling and then her dad carried her into the airport. 

Dawn noted that it was much quieter in there now than when she and her mother had arrived this morning and she figured it was because of the late hour.

She couldn't see through her hood, but Dawn thought that they might've passed a gift shop because the smell of thick perfume suddenly assaulted her and she couldn't stop the small sneeze that ripped through her. 

She felt her father pause and she held her breath. 

He carefully tried to pull back the hoodie, but when Dawn felt it moving, she moaned tiredly.

Her father quickly pulled his hand back and Dawn heard him speak clearly for the very first time. 

"I'm sorry," he whispered in her clothed ear. "Are you awake, buddy?"

Dawn hesitated and then she shook her head.

Barry tried to angle his head better so he could see his son properly, but with Donovan's head on his shoulder and a hood over his face, it was impossible. 

He tried to gently pull the hood off again.

"Are you sure you're not too hot?" Barry finally asked softly when the child snatched the hood back for the second time.

Donovan nodded quickly. 

"Okay," Barry said slowly. "If you're sure." He put his free hand on Donovan's back to settle him once more. "I'm sorry I woke you up. Go back to sleep, okay?"

Donovan waited a beat and then he snuggled further into his father and didn't move again. 

Barry navigated them through the airport with ease. 

He was used to Donovan's eccentricities. And was more than happy to accommodate him so he always felt comfortable. 

He didn't care if that meant he got strange looks from strangers at the airport as he lugged around a silent, tightly-hooded eight-year-old through Customs.

As they walked further and further in the airport, Dawn knew that they would soon make her take her hood off at the passport checkpoint in the airport. She was well-versed in airport travels from all her trips with her mom. 

And she was right. In no time, she heard a bored worker instruct her dad to hand off their passports.

With her hair pulled back, Dawn knew she resembled her brother enough to pass as him with whatever picture his passport had. 

So, both times their passports were inspected, Dawn made sure to spill a drink and then 'accidentally' tip over Donovan's small carry on so that her dad would be distracted while she moved her hood off and smiled widely for the TSA agents checking her passport. 

Each time, her passport was stamped, approved, and her obscured hood was back in place before her dad was upright once more.

Even with her cunning, Dawn West was absolutely _floored_ that she managed to pass through the airport, board a plane, and make it through a six hour plane ride without once being discovered.

Dawn already planned to tell her mom, with great pride, all about this grand adventure.

By the time she and her dad were in a car, driving to what she assumed was his farm, Dawn was on Cloud 9. She couldn't believe her luck and she was so pleased with herself, that she let her guard down enough to feel her eyes begin to droop.

She couldn't believe it. She'd done it. She was going to her dad's house to spend one perfect day with him.

She thought about Donovan and she hoped he'd be as successful as she was.

And then she thought about all the things she'd do with her dad tomorrow. She thought about all that they would talk about and laugh about. And she thought about the meals they'd share before it was time for her to go back to New York. 

And those wonderful thoughts swirling around her little head was all the peace she needed to close her eyes and drift off to sleep.

It felt like Dawn was only asleep for a few minutes before a knock on a door and then a cheerful greeting woke her.

"Good morning, Donovan," she heard her father say. "Time to get up for school."

The sound of curtains opening and papers rustling came overhead. Dawn realized she was in a very warm, very soft bed and that she was still in her clothes from last night- hoodie and all.

She was so comfortable and confused that it took her a second to understand what her dad just said.

' _School_ '!? 

Donovan hadn't mentioned anything about school!!

She felt her dad softly pat her shoulder over the covers.

"Five more minutes. Okay, buddy? You don't want to be late your first day back."

Dawn's eyes bulged and she gulped. 

Her dad left the room and Dawn scurried out of bed and ripped off her sweater.

She didn't know what to do. Why hadn't Donovan mentioned he had school!?

Dawn wasn't in school. She had already finished her coursework before the move to New York. She was already on summer vacation and assumed her brother was too.

What was she supposed to do now!?

This day was meant to be the perfect day with just her and her long-lost dad. How could they have the perfect day if she had to spend most of it in a classroom?

And how did Donovan not expect their dad to be even more upset with them once he learned Donovan was cutting class on top of all their other deception?

Dawn was so stressed and deep in thought, she didn't hear footsteps returning from down the hall. She didn't realize that five minutes had passed and her dad was making good on his promise to come back.

But, she did hear the bedroom door open. And she heard the loud gasp as she turned to face it. And she heard the string of expletives her father let out as he took her in.

As he watched her, dumbfounded, she watched him in fascination. 

He was handsome. And tall. _Very_ long. He had perfectly coiffed hair and long eyelashes like hers. 

Even as they grew to be the size of two saucers, Dawn also thought his green eyes reminded her of the sea.

And Barry noted details of the young, tiny stranger standing in his son's room.

He noted her stylish braids decked out in colorful clips and barrettes. 

He noted deep brown eyes that twinkled in the morning light. 

Eyes that would've held a fountain of familiarity if he were less distracted and distraught. 

But, Barry was completely disoriented and perplexed at the child starting back at him.

A child that was not his son. 

His heart sank and his mind exploded. 

The child he was looking at was not his child. This wasn't his son.

What the hell just happened!?

Barry thought he knew the answer and it made him nauseous. He had been jet lagged and exhausted and he grabbed the wrong kid from the wrong hotel room.

"I grabbed the wrong kid," he mumbled out loud. He grabbed his head. "Oh my God! I stole a child!"

Not only that, he took her over international waters and across a dozen borders.

Kidnapping _and_ child abandonment. Because he left his son all alone on another continent. 

" _Shit_. I mean-- I'm sorry I didn't mean to say that. Just-- where's my son? Do you know him? Glasses, dark brown hair, dimples… He--uh--he's your same height and he weighs about the same. Oh my God! Donovan. Where's my son!?"

"D-do you speak English?" Barry asked desperately when the little girl didn't respond.

Her small eyebrows furrowed and she tilted her head. Then she nodded. 

The abducted little girl didn't look the least bit distressed or alarmed waking up in a strange house with a stranger. And if Barry was any less panicked, that would've been the second clue that he should calm down and breathe.

But, it wasn't and he didn't. Instead he paced the floor and tugged at his hair before he hurriedly left the room to find his cell phone. 

"I have to call the police," he mumbled, half to himself and half to the small girl he heard walking after him.

He could feel himself, in real time, losing his mind.

"I have to get you back to Peru. And then send out a search party. My God, my child's missing!"

The girl finally broke her silence, realizing the distraught man wouldn't give her an edge in otherwise. "Well… only _one_ of them is missing," she informed him, in a high, comforting voice. "You have the other one…"

Barry did a double take over his shoulder. And then he stopped. "What?"

"And also, Donovan's not really missing," the girl continued on, waving her hand in a familiar way Barry couldn't place. "I know exactly where he is. Or actually I know where he _will_ be by now. I--"

"Wh- what did you just say?" Barry stammered. "About my other one…"

"Your other child is right here," she chirped happily.

Barry blinked at her. 

And then he chuckled.

His shoulders relaxed. "Okay. I get it. I'm dreaming. It's the motion-sickness pills I took before the flight."

Dawn pursed her lips and shook her head slowly. 

Barry's smile slowly started to drop. 

"I'm not, am I?"

"No," she answered. 

"Y- you… That's not possible," Barry shook his head. "You're not..."

"I am," the girl nodded joyfully.

Barry felt his eyes sting, but he blinked it back. This couldn't be real.

But, it couldn't be a dream either. Because, even in his wildest dreams, Barry never thought this particular reunion would be possible. He never thought he'd stand face-to-face with _this_ child.

But, then the little girl spoke again. And she confirmed what he'd already begun praying was the truth.

"My name is Dawn West," she informed him. "And you're my dad, Barry Allen. It's very nice to meet your acquaintance."

Iris West was shell-shocked. She felt she was hallucinating. She couldn't make the little boy she was gaping at fit into her reality.

It was as if someone had reached into her memories, grabbed Barry Allen, gave him melanin, glasses, and textured hair and plopped him right in front of her. 

"You look _just_ like my hus---"

Iris cut herself off. 

It was impossible. 

She knew this wasn't Barry. 

But, she couldn't believe the resemblance of this stranger. It was mind-blowing.

There was one other explanation. She realized after a moment. An explanation that was much more sensible.

But, it was an impossible one.

No, Iris corrected.

Highly improbable? Yes. But, not impossible.

Iris didn't believe in _that_ word anymore. Not after the year she and Dawn had just had. 

"W-what's your name?" Iris said softly to the small boy.

He chewed his lip thoughtfully, as if he was unsure of how she'd react.

The longer he took, the more certain Iris became of the words he was about to speak. 

"Donovan West Allen," the child finally spoke, saying the name in perfect harmony with Iris saying it in her head.

Iris walked over to him. With trembling hands she reached down and lifted the hem of his pants. And when she pulled down his socks just a little, Iris saw the familiar lightning shaped birthmark right on the bottom of his ankle. Right where she expected to find it.

She gasped and dropped the fabric and looked up at the small, hopeful face staring back at her.

"Hi, mom."

"Oh my God!" 

She immediately engulfed him in a tight hug and squeezed her son as tightly as she could. "But, how is this possible? How did this happen?" She gasped against his cheek.

"Wait a minute, where's Dawn!?" She exclaimed. 

"She's with my dad," Donovan told her. "Well, _our_ dad."

Iris felt dizzy. She blinked rapidly to clear her head and clear her eyes.

She couldn't believe this. Dawn was with Barry!? Donovan was _here_!? How was that possible? How did those two even meet!? 

Iris pulled back to ask Donovan all of this, but as soon as she did, she was awe-struck at the sight of him. And it rendered her speechless.

This was her son. 

The baby she'd birthed and nursed was here in the flesh all grown up.

Iris touched his cheek. He was perfect. Absolutely breathtaking. The longer she stared at him, the more he shed his stark resemblance to Barry and the more she recognized the unique features of the perfect little baby she'd once known.

The baby she'd loved with her entire soul. The baby she'd had to give up.

He was here. She was holding him. 

Her beautiful boy. 

A sob ripped through her and Iris gathered him in her arms again. She didn't want to cry in front of him. She didn't want to scare him. 

But, she couldn't help herself. These were tears of joy. Of elation. Not sadness. She couldn't contain them if she tried.

"I'm so happy you're here," she whispered to her son. "I'm _so_ happy." 

She felt him laugh and wrap his arms tightly around her and she swore she was in heaven above. 

Iris didn't care about the whys or the hows or the absolute inconceivability of this reunion. 

He was here. Her Donovan was here.

And the longer she held him, the more certain she was that she would never let him go again.

Once he staggered to a couch in the living room, it took far too long for Barry Allen to stop hyperventilating enough to speak in a complete sentence.

Dawn had watched the man struggle through his thick emotion, rocking back and forth on her toes, waiting for him to settle. 

She didn't know exactly what the problem was. 

She'd been polite when she introduced herself. 

Just like her mama taught her. 

And yet, as soon as she spoke, her father had all but collapsed. 

Eventually, Dawn walked over and patted him twice on the shoulder. "There, there. It'll be okay."

"I need to call Ir-- I need to call your mom."

He looked towards the doorway and then back at her. And then at the doorway and then at her.

"How did you get here?" He questioned incredulously. 

"With you," Dawn laughed like he'd asked such a silly question.

As frayed as his emotions were, as soon as Barry heard the sound of her laughter, his tension eased.

"No, I figured. I mean…You-- You said you know where Donovan is? I'm assuming you switched places with him back in Peru. How did you guys even meet?"

"At the conference," Dawn supplied.

Barry put a hand on his head. "You met yesterday? For the first time? You two never met before?" Dawn shook her head. This didn't make any sense to Barry. 

"What happened? Wh-how did you know you were related?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "We just did. We're twins."

Barry suddenly remembered hearing Donovan laughing and talking to someone outside the door when Abigail was treating his hands. Donovan had said he'd made a friend. A girl. 

It'd been his sister.

The idea of Donovan bumping into a stranger and having it be the twin he'd never known he had seemed so mind-blowingly impossible, Barry couldn't make heads or tails of what Dawn was saying.

But then Barry remembered the last five months of his life. 

And even before that, he remembered how much of his life was wrapped up in being thrust into the impossible. 

Reuniting with a long lost child out of the blue suddenly didn't seem so far-fetched.

Still, Barry's spiraling didn't wane much. "Does anyone else know what you guys did? Does anyone know you switched places?"

Dawn looked down regretfully and shook her head. 

Barry tried to put the jumbled pieces of this picture together as best he could. "So, you were at the metahuman conference with your m… with I-Iris. With your mom?"

Dawn perked up a little at the mention of her mother. "Yup! I always go with her to those. Mama always has a speech to give. She talks all the time."

"She's a scientist," Barry stated. He already knew that. 

Dawn nodded. 

"So, she works for CitiGlobe Laboratories?" He ventured.

Dawn nodded. "She owns it."

Barry didn't know _that_.

He'd researched the group when he got tickets to the conference, but he hadn't seen Iris's name anywhere on the website.

And she hadn't spoken at the conference yesterday like Dawn implied.

But, then Barry realized he'd missed almost the first half hour of the conference. And Abigail's coffee had ruined his program so he never actually got to see the full lineup of yesterday's speakers.

But, apparently she'd been there yesterday. With their daughter. At the same time he was there. With their son. 

And the kids had met, figured out the truth, and swapped places all right under their noses.

He put his head in his hands. 

What the hell was going on??

"I need to call her," Barry suddenly decided. He got up from his chair and grabbed his phone off the counter.

He quickly Googled the lab's phone number. 

“Can I speak to Iris West, please?” he asked when a woman picked up and introduced herself.

“Oh, I ’m sorry she’s away at a conference," the young woman apologized. "She’ll be back on Tuesday. Can I take a message?”

Barry pressed his eyes with his fingers. “Can I have her cell phone number? It’s urgent. _Very_ urgent."

“I’m sorry, sir I can’t give out Dr. West’s personal--”

“--I know her, it’s okay," Barry said. "My name’s Barry Allen and I need to talk to her right now.”

But, the receptionist wouldn't budge. “I can have Dr. West call you back, sir, but I can’t--”

“--I have her daughter," he blurted out, not wanting to deal with a whole run around. "And I need to speak to her right now.”

But, all that did was alarm the woman. “Wait, what!?" She demanded. "What did you say?”

Barry swore under his breath and tried to calm down. He realized how what he was saying could sound very alarming. 

Like this was a ransom call.

He tried to smoothly backtrack and clean up his word vomit.

“I said that I have some information about my daughter. I met Dr. West at the Metahuman Conference in Peru. I’m a researcher too. She told me to reach out about my daughter’s case. She was interested in it. My name is Barry Allen.”

“Oh... okay," the woman allowed. She slowly brought her alarm back down. "I understand. I’ll give Dr. West a call right now and have her give you a call back.”

“Okay," Barry agreed, realizing it was the best he was going to get. "Great. Thank you.”

He hung up and groaned. He was feeling very overwhelmed right now. 

“You sounded like a kidnapper," Dawn whispered disapprovingly with wide, sympathetic eyes, having witnessed that train wreck of a phone call. "That’s not good.”

Barry sighed. "Do you know your mom's cell phone number?" 

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"It's 555-614-5329," Dawn recited. 

"Okay, great. Thanks," Barry punched in the numbers. 

"You're welcome..." Dawn drawled. 

"... But, she's not gonna answer," she concluded right as a busy tone sounded in his ear. "She uses her second phone for travels. I don't know the number to that one. The nanny dials it when I want to talk to my mom."

Barry gave a pitiful sigh of defeat.

Until Iris called him, he didn't know what else to do. He tried to calculate the time difference in his head. What time was it in Lima? Was she still asleep or was she awake? Had she discovered the kids' duplicity yet? Was she even still in Peru? Or had she unknowingly loaded his son on a plane to God knows where like he'd done with Dawn? 

Barry's breath hitched when he thought about Donovan. Where was his son? Was he okay?

As worried as Barry was, he already knew the answer to the latter question.

He was with Iris. If Barry knew nothing else, he knew that his son would be perfectly safe with her.

He was with Iris. He was with his… mother.

Donovan was with his mother.

Iris. 

Donovan was with his mother, Iris.

And Dawn was here with him.

His daughter was here. 

Barry let that fact sink in fully for the first time. 

He looked over at her. 

She was watching him with big, curious eyes and Barry felt a calm wash over him. 

This was his daughter. 

He was looking at his daughter for the first time in six years.

And she was a masterpiece.

Dawn seemed to become more unsure of herself in her father's silence than in his freak out.

Her fingers began playing with the hem of her shirt and she bit the inside of her cheek.

"Are you angry?" She finally eked out.

Barry shook his head at once. "No, of course not," he had to speak around the lump in his throat. "I just can't believe it's really you."

He walked over to her, forgetting his phone and his urgent need to call her mother.

He didn't think about the urgent need to sort any of this out at all. 

All he thought about was the fact that he'd been given an outrageous and completely preposterous gift this morning. And there was no way he'd spend any more time not appreciating it.

He put a soft hand on her shoulder and the other on her hair.

He bent down so he was at her level as he studied her. When she looked up at him again, Barry finally saw the familiarity in her infinite, brown eyes.

He knew her. The same little girl he'd loved. The little girl he'd held tightly in his arms until the day he had to say goodbye.

She was here.

The huge smile that overtook his face would've been painful if he wasn't so happy. "I'm really, really glad you're here Dawn. I'm not mad. I'm _so_ happy."

He hugged her tightly and Dawn smiled from ear to ear. She rested her head on his shoulder. Just like she'd done last night. And she knew that the dreams of her one perfect day were still intact.

When Iris pulled away from Donovan long enough for him to explain just how on earth all of this happened, other thoughts finally began to file into her brain. 

Thoughts that she should probably call her son's father. And that she should confirm her own daughter was safe and sound as well. 

She held Donovan's hands, not wanting to separate from him, as she walked over and picked up the phone she'd dropped. 

Before she even turned it over, she knew she'd cracked it. 

Still, she'd hoped it was at least still working. 

She tapped the screen and pressed the power button repeatedly. No luck. 

"Okay, we have to call your dad," Iris sighed. "You know his phone number right?" Donovan nodded slowly after a pause. "Let's go downstairs and use the hotel's phone. Okay?"

Donovan hesitated. He didn't want to call his dad just yet. He still wanted time with his mom.

"It's okay," Iris promised. "We're just going to let him know you're alright. And we'll make sure Dawn is okay. And then we can come back up and have breakfast together."

"I won't have to leave right away?" Donovan checked.

Iris shook her head. "Of course not. Me and you are going to stay right here. It will take a few hours for your dad to fly back here."

Donovan smiled and let Iris lead him to the hotel door. "So until then, you and I are not going--"

Suddenly all the lights in the room shut off. 

There was silence and then loud commotion outside as people walked out their rooms and began shouting questions at each other.

Iris peeked her head out and saw that the entire floor was plunged into darkness.

She sighed. 

Power surge.

The western hemisphere was still experiencing sporadic, rolling blackouts as a result of the massive particle accelerator explosion five months prior. 

No one knew the exact cause of the blackouts. Possible radiation remnants, possible energy surges from the old power plants. But, citizens were becoming well-versed in these pesky power outages.

Iris closed the hotel door and scratched her head. 

"Okay, new plan," she informed her son. 

If the power was out, then the phone lines were out. 

She couldn't call Barry. She couldn't email or message him either on a computer. 

She brought Donovan over to look out the window and saw that the entire block and beyond were also out of power. 

"Okay, honey," Iris told the little boy regretfully. "We may actually need to take a little trip."

Dawn wandered around the closest rooms of the house.

This place was _huge_. And much, much nicer than Dawn expected for a farm.

If it weren't for the rolling acres of land she saw out the window, and animals she'd caught a peek of, Dawn wouldn't have thought she was on farmland at all.

She was certain it would take her years to explore all the rooms and fancy furniture encompassed in this place.

But, she decided to start with those on the first floor.

After her dad had hugged her and asked her to walk him through exactly what happened last night, he got her set up in Donovan's room with toiletries for her to shower with and some clothes of Donovan's that fit her. 

When Dawn was finished and all squared away, she went back downstairs to explore her new environment.

And she was quite enjoying this until a rhythmic beeping interrupted Dawn's examination of the giant bookcase in one of the sitting rooms. 

Gleaming glass and metal plaques and trophies had piqued her interest, but before she could reach them, a phone went off. 

“Barry Allen!" Dawn called from the bottom of the steps. "Your phone is ringing!”

Hurried footsteps sounded overhead and she saw her dad take two steps at a time to reach the cell phone she held out to him. He thanked her quickly and answered the call. 

"Iris!?"

Barry visibly deflated and rubbed his brow. "Principal Pollock… how are you, sir?"

"I'm fine thanks," Barry said after a beat.

Dawn saw her father's eyes widen and then he mouthed a curse word under his breath. 

"Of course not, sir," he said in a fake cheerful voice. "We didn't forget. It's just a bit of a--"

"-- No, I understand, Principal Pollock. It was--"

Barry sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he listened to whoever was on the other line talk. 

Dawn could tell that this would be a long call. So, she wandered back over to the bookcase in the sitting room.

She fingered the trophies and awards that all had her dad's name on them and she wondered what they were for.

She'd ask him when he was off the phone.

But, Dawn waited and waited and she could still hear him talking in the other room.

Eventually, she had to walk over to him again. Aside from her boredom, her stomach had begun growling in earnest. 

Once in front of him, Dawn waited politely for him to notice her. 

Barry looked down at his daughter and pulled the phone away from his ear.

“I’m hungry,” she revealed.

Barry checked the clock. It was well past 9:00 and in his panic, he'd forgotten to feed Dawn. He was really killing it today.

“I’ll make you breakfast," he promised lowly, not wanting to interrupt the school principal's rant. "I only need a few minutes. Just grab something from the fridge to hold you over. Okay?” 

Dawn nodded and skipped over to the giant, sleek refrigerator in the kitchen. When she opened it, she couldn’t believe all the snacks and food pouring out of it. 

Dawn grinned with excitement and licked her lips as she scoured for a treat. 

She pulled out a pastry box and found a delicious looking cronut to munch on. 

_“I know we agreed on today, Mr. Pollock. It’s just that Donovan got very sick Sunday afternoon. I think it was food poisoning. He has a doctor’s appointment this afternoon.”_

She heard her dad in the other room speak with exasperation.

_“Why would we be talking about repeating the second grade? He’s kept up with his class’s curriculum since he’s been homeschooled.”_

She chewed the pastry slowly as she tried to piece together what exactly the problem was.

It seemed like today had been a big deal for Donovan and now that he was missing it, it looked like not only was he in trouble, so was their dad. 

_“Him coming in for the last two weeks was just a formality. For him to hand in his end-of-year tests and get him reacquainted with the school’s environment.”_

_“No, no sir, with all due respect that’s not exactly--.”_

_"No… no, that's not-"_

Dawn tuned out the conversation unable to really understand what was happening. 

All she knew was that she felt bad about making a mess. Her dad sounded very stressed and that's not how she wanted him to spend his morning with her. 

The young girl felt that Donovan had omitted a very important piece of information to her, either by choice or by forgetfulness, and now her perfect day was once more in jeopardy.

This wouldn't do.

Dawn finished up her donut and quickly cleaned her hands. 

Then, she went digging for a saucepan in the cabinets.

She carefully filled it up with water, only spilling what she believed to be a small amount of water from her trek from the sink to the stove. 

Dawn cautiously turned on the gas stove and watched with laser focus as the water slowly heated.

When she was satisfied that it was on its way, she went into the fridge and rummaged around before she pulled out some produce and some bread.

Toasting four slices of bread by herself was easy enough. Her dad had the same toaster that she and her mom had. 

Slicing up some avocado proved more difficult. 

Dawn had to use a butter knife to cut the avocados because Barry didn't have a plastic kids knives set like Dawn had at her house. His were steel and big and looked much too sharp for her to use. 

She also couldn't reach the kitchen counter or the chairs in front of it, so she put a cutting board on the sparkling hardwood floor and sliced up her avocados and tomatoes. 

The avocados were smushed. And her diced tomatoes were wonky. But, other than that, Dawn breezed through the cooking and in no time she had made them both a perfect meal of poached eggs, toast, and avocado.

"Dawn?" Barry called out hesitantly, smelling the aroma from the kitchen.

"Yes?" She answered as she carefully carried a full plate of food over her head to the dining table. 

"You're not cooking on the stove are you?"

"Yees," she sang back. 

"Shit," she heard him hiss before he abruptly ended his phone call and hurried into the kitchen and Dawn giggled. She found his repeated cursing funny.

When Barry came in, he looked around the kitchen wide-eyed.

The room looked like a tiny tornado had run through it, but everything was in one piece. Dawn looked unharmed. And the two full plates of food on the dining table looked warm and inviting. 

"I made us breakfast," Dawn beamed happily. 

Barry came over and inspected her work. He was flabbergasted.

"You did this yourself?" He marveled. "How!?"

"I cook with my mom all the time!" Dawn said. She climbed into a dining chair, pleased that this one wasn't too tall for her and then she patted the chair next to her.

Barry blinked in surprise. 

He unthinkingly grabbed some utensils, cups, and a pitcher of fresh orange juice from the fridge before he took his seat by her side.

"Thank you," he breathed in shock, still inspecting that the food was in fact real. "This looks wonderful. I can't remember the last time someone made me breakfast."

 _Yes, you can,_ a haughty voice in his head said. _You remember everything about her._

Barry chased the voice away.

"I want to do it," Dawn informed him when he tried to pour them each a drink. He acquiesced and let her fill their cups. 

Dawn knelt on her chair and poked her tongue out her mouth in concentration as she tried to pour the heavy pitcher with precision.

Her eyebrows furrowed and Barry was walloped with a brutal wave of nostalgia.

It was an expression he'd seen a million times on--

"You want more?" Dawn asked, gesturing to his half-full cup. 

"That's perfect thanks," Barry smiled at her. 

Dawn carefully poured herself a cup, sat down properly in her chair and then dug into her food. 

Barry watched her eat for a few minutes, fascinated by her, before she looked over at him and he remembered to dig in too.

He couldn't believe his taste buds when he did. "This is amazing!" He muttered.

The avocado toast had diced tomatoes in it. She'd even managed to sprinkle salt and pepper on it. And when he pulled back, he found the egg yolk consistency to be perfect. 

"Thank you," Dawn said.

Barry didn't know how common it was for an eight-year-old to make the perfect poached egg. But, until someone told him otherwise, he was certain this meant she was a prodigy.

"Do you like cooking?" He asked Dawn.

She shrugged and wiped her eggy hands on a napkin. "Sometimes. I like cooking with my mama most of the time. She always puts on music and we dance."

He tried not envision Iris West dancing around a kitchen, smiling her customary blinding smile. For some reason it made him dizzy.

"Did those come from chickens here?" Dawn pointed behind her at the basket of fresh eggs she'd used from. 

"Yeah," Barry nodded. "I have a chicken coop out back."

"Chickens… jungle fowl," Dawn whispered under her breath.

"What?"

"Nothing," Dawn replied. "That's the genus of a chicken. Jungle fowl."

Barry's mouth opened and he stuttered.

Then he bit the inside of his cheek so hard, he tasted metal. 

He quickly looked down so that Dawn wouldn't see the devastation suddenly in his eyes.

Barry didn't know if he could do this. This was a system overload he'd had no preparation for.

Looking at her was like looking at a carbon copy of a still shot in his mind. In her, he saw a perfect mirror of the little girl he used to run around the school playground with. The girl he'd once loved more than anything in the world.

But, then, the longer he stared at Dawn, he began to also see himself in her too. 

He saw it in her chin. And her nose. And in the way the corners of her eyes crinkled just so when she smiled.

She was speaking in earnest, listing the complete classification of chicken. And Barry found himself hanging on her every word.

"Barry Allen?" She asked later, when she was done with her trivia and a nice lull had fallen over them. 

"Yeah?" Barry replied.

“Can you take me around your farm?" Dawn asked shyly. "Please? Can I see the chickens?"

Barry smiled. "Of course. I'll show you the _whole_ thing."

Dawn drummed her hands on the table and climbed out of her seat, absolutely thrilled. “Great! I’ll go borrow some of Donovan's boots and I'll be right back! It’s a perfect day for an adventure!”

Barry's smile faltered a tiny bit. His heart clenched hard. “Y-yeah," he cleared his throat and fixed his smile. "It is."

Dawn hightailed it out of the dining room. “Thanks for breakfast, Barry Allen,” she called over her shoulder before she ran up the stairs to try and find Donovan's bedroom.

Barry leaned back heavily in his chair. 

He knew that this day would require all the mental strength he possessed. 

The trek through his farm with his daughter was a refreshing and enjoyable excursion Barry realized he'd never had before.

They'd lived on the land for several years, but Barry had never actually toured it with someone before.

Donovan was far more interested in talking to the animals and playing in the leaves and bales of hay than he ever was about learning facts about the farm he'd grown up on. 

But, Dawn was fascinated by anything and everything she saw on the tour.

"What's that?" She asked for the dozenth time, pointing to large stalks in the distance. 

"That's where we grow corn," Barry informed her.

"Corn is a vegetable _and_ a fruit," Dawn stated.

"What's that?" She pointed to a semi-fenced off section of land that had machinery and trellises all around it. 

"That's our vineyard," Barry said. 

"What's a vineyard?" She wondered.

"A vineyard is where you make wine to drink."

"From overripe grapes?" Dawn queried.

Barry nodded, impressed. "Yeah. From grapes."

It seemed like Dawn somehow could find a fact somewhere in her brain for just about everything. Even things she was only just discovering.

As they came upon the west side of the farm, Dawn pointed to a large truck driving up ahead on the grass, dumping some kind of white powder in its wake. "What's that?"

"It's farming lime. We use it on the soil in this area sometimes. But, be careful you don't get too close. The powder burns your eyes a little."

"Lime on the ground," she considered this in her head for a very long stretch before she looked up at him. "Because soil has acid. Right? Lime is the opposite. I think. A base. Like soap."

Barry looked down at her with wide eyes and smiled. "You're _very_ smart."

If it wasn't for the fact that he'd cut her umbilical cord himself, Barry wouldn't believe the child before him was only eight years old.

"My mom teaches me all sorts of things," Dawn explained joyfully. "She's a genius."

"Well, that's definitely true," Barry chuckled.

Speaking of her mama, Dawn found this to be the perfect time to start asking some actual important questions.

"What was my mom like before?" She asked her father.

Barry quirked his lip. "Well, you're right. She is a genius. She was ever since we were kids."

Dawn gasped with wonder. "You knew my mom when you were kids!?"

"Of course," Barry nodded. "Since we were ten."

Dawn looked at him rapt with awe. She'd never thought about how her mom and dad met, because she truthfully never thought about having a dad much.

But, now she wanted to know everything about him and her mom.

And Barry saw the burning questions in her eyes. So he thought he'd indulge her.

"She wasn't like anyone I'd ever met before," he said slowly. He started to tap into a part of his mind he'd kept under lock and key. The part that housed all his memories from before these last six years.

And once he did, it was inevitable the memories of Iris West came rushing out. "She was the nicest person I've ever met. She was brilliant and funny and absolutely fearless."

Dawn smiled and nodded. She knew all that quite well.

"What was her favorite color?" Dawn asked. She'd wanted to know more about her dad and her parents _together_ , but the allure of learning about her mom when she was around her age was too appealing for Dawn to pass up.

"It was yellow," Barry told her. "What's yours?"

"Red," Dawn said at once. 

Barry grinned. "Mine too."

Dawn was ecstatic to hear she had something in common with her father. "What was mama's favorite food?"

"She didn't really have one," Barry revealed. "She'd eat whatever she could."

He tried not to think about why that was.

"What's your favorite food?" Barry asked instead. 

"Brownies!" Dawn exclaimed.

Barry laughed. "That's a good one. I can make us some later if you want?"

Dawn barely let him finish before she eagerly agreed.

They spent the rest of the tour bouncing questions back and forth between them. Barry used Dawn's inquiries to tell her things about her mom she might not have known as well as used the time to find out all he could about his daughter.

He was captivated listening to her talk and laugh and skip around.

She had an energy level that was _extremely_ high. 

She alternated between skipping alongside him, running in circles as they walked and just randomly breaking out into cartwheels.

She never ran out of questions to ask and the two of them didn't slow down in conversation for close to two hours.

It was the most he'd spoken about his old life in almost six years, but Barry was surprised to find he didn't mind. He wasn't at all hesitant to talk about Iris like he'd always been.

Even though he and Dawn talked about the most surface level things about her mom, Barry found that it was easy to talk about Iris with someone that knew her. 

Someone who understood the unexplainable about all that Iris was.

And the more he really listened and watched his daughter, the less he saw her as a carbon copy of Iris as a child. Dawn was dripped in Iris's influence and rearing. Obviously. But, there was something so unique and individualistic about the young girl, Barry was certain he'd never find a kid more fascinating than her.

She was confident and staggeringly intelligent. She was also a great conversationalist. And above all, Barry found that she was absolutely hilarious. Mostly without even meaning to be.

Gathered in the kitchen later that morning to whip up some homemade brownies, Barry was laughing so hard at a story she was recounting about an unfortunate mishap she and her babysitter recently had at a hibachi grill, he almost didn't hear his phone ring.

When he did, he caught his breath and told Dawn to keep stirring the batter while he answered.

He accepted the call without thought.

"Hello?"

" _Barry_?"

Time froze. 

It didn't slow down or escape him. 

It ceased to exist. 

The past and the present melted together all at once.

The eternity that existed in the second it took her to say his name was filled with every mental snapshot he'd ever had of her.

He was awestruck. He was rendered speechless. 

He didn't respond. Perhaps solely so that he could hear her speak the word again. 

" _Barry_? Are you there?"

"I- I'm here, Iris. Hi," he stammered softly. "H-how are you?"

"Uhh," Iris laughed nervously. "A little overwhelmed. Slightly freaked out."

Barry looked over at his long-lost daughter, diligently stirring a bowl of brownie mix in his kitchen. "I know the feeling."

"You have Dawn," Iris stated. 

"I do," Barry said. "Donovan's with you?"

"He's right here," Iris assured. 

"They switched places," Barry affirmed. 

"I know," Iris concurred. 

She took a breath and then exhaled slowly. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I think we made a mess of things, Barry."

Barry exhaled heavily. "I know."

There was a silence as those words settled between them.

Iris was the first to break it. "I'm at the airport. We're about to get on a plane," she informed him. "To New York. I live there now. Do you think you both can catch a flight and meet us there?"

"Of course," Barry nodded. "I'll uh I'll check flights now and let you know what I find."

"Okay. I'll text you our flight info also. And my address too."

Barry nodded, forgetting she couldn't see him.

"Well, I should go," Iris hemmed. "I think we're going to be boarded soon. I'll keep my phone on. Just text me the flight details and I'll see it when we land, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Barry concurred. And then he said something he hadn't said in six years. "I'll see you soon, Iris."

"Bye, Barry," Iris said softly. 

And then the line clicked.

Iris stared at the now-blank screen of the simple replacement phone she'd bought at a store in the airport.

She swallowed hard, trying to wet her dry mouth.

He'd sounded the same. Barry.

He'd sounded just like she remembered. 

And yet the sound of his voice startled her. Like she hadn't been expecting it.

Well, she really hadn't. 

Before this morning, Iris had never expected to hear Barry Allen's voice in her ear ever again.

She knew that she'd said earlier she no longer believed in the word impossible, but speaking to the man she'd walked away from almost six years ago was the one thing in the world that she was sure would _never_ happen again in this life.

But, she'd spoken to him. 

And she made plans with him. 

And she was going to see him face to face in just a few short hours.

God help me, she desperately prayed in her mind.

Donovan looked up at her expectantly. "Is my dad coming to your house too?"

Iris put on a brave face and smiled. "Yes. He's going to meet us there with Dawn."

Donovan turned his head so that his mother wouldn't see his scheming smirk.

He and Dawn had been right. 

He couldn't believe it. 

Their plan had worked and everything was going to fall into place. 

And now, they only had to wait a few hours more for their parents to meet and fall right back in love.

Beside him, however, his mother was having the opposite reaction.

She began counting down the few short hours until her assured demise.

Above, they heard the announcement system declare it was time for them to board and Iris sighed in tense relief. 

There was no doubt she would take in as much liquid courage as she could find on the flight.

A few hours later, Barry and Dawn sat comfortably side by side on their first-class flight to the east coast. 

This time, Dawn didn't have to spend the trip huddled under a sweater pretending to be her brother. She sat proudly beside her father excited to be with him, but also excited to see her mom and Donovan again.

She already had so many stories to tell them.

"So," Barry stated slowly, breaking Dawn out of her eager ruminations. "You live in New York?"

"Yup," Dawn nodded once. 

"With your mom?" Barry said.

"Yup."

"And your…" He stretched, hoping she would fill in the blank.

But, she just stared at him.

"What I mean is it's you, your mom, and…" He tried, hoping she'd catch on. But she didn't.

"You-- I mean-- is… is it just the two of you?" Barry got out.

"Yup," Dawn nodded again. "Just me and my mom."

"Oh," he commented, working to keep his voice even.

Thankfully Dawn didn't challenge his questions. She pointed out the window and asked to play a game where they identify the types of birds flying past them.

Barry was utterly useless at the game, but Dawn didn't mind.

She helped him along and didn't keep score and Barry genuinely wondered for the fiftieth time since meeting her, how on earth he could've had a hand in creating a kid so wonderful.

 _Don't flatter yourself_ , his internal companion whispered in his mind. _You know exactly where she gets it from._

Barry nervously drummed his fingers against his armrest to try and drown that voice out.

Barry checked his watch and then messaged Iris that they were landing soon and he also messaged her the address of a well-known Manhattan hotel. He'd booked a room there before takeoff. 

With all they had to discuss, he didn't anticipate leaving New York for at least a few days so he booked a place for him and Donovan. 

Iris messaged back a confirmation that her and Donovan would meet them at the hotel and Barry put his phone away and began thinking about the imminent meeting he was barreling towards.

He nervously tried to ask Dawn more subtle questions about life with her mom, but Dawn, unfortunately, wasn't biting.

Barry eventually told her he'd be right back and he went to the bathroom to check himself over in the mirror. 

When he was satisfied with his appearance, he walked back to his seat. But before he could reach it, he circled back to the bathroom for a quick double-check. 

Then he left. 

Then he went back in. 

Again and again. Never once making it back to his seat. 

First he decided to fluff up his hair more. Then he decided to flatten it some. 

Then he unbuttoned his shirt a little. Then he frantically buttoned it all the way back up. 

He cursed his unruly eyebrows and his extra long neck. And had he always been so ghastly pale?

Barry found that he couldn't tear himself away from the small bathroom mirror. And the longer he stood there, the more nervous and displeased with his appearance he became.

He was spiraling. 

Thankfully, his saving grace came in the form of tiny pounding against the locked bathroom door. 

"Barry Allen?" Dawn called from the other side of it. "Does your tummy hurt?"

Her voice changed to what Barry had to assume she thought was conspicuous volume. It wasn't. "It's okay if you have to poop. It's normal."

"I'll be right out, Dawn," Barry blurted quickly. He heard faint snickers of laughter beyond the bathroom and he blushed.

"Okay," Dawn called back. He heard her walk away. And then he heard her announce, "Pooping is okay. Everyone does it."

Barry assumed she was talking to the people who'd heard their exchange and had laughed.

He groaned lowly and unlocked the door, at least grateful that the embarrassment he'd feel walking back to his seat would be enough to snuff out any remaining anxiety.

When he came upon their row, Dawn patted his chair for him to sit. 

"Is your tummy all better?" she whispered.

"All good," Barry responded. He sat down and chewed his bottom lip.

When he looked out the window, Barry could tell they were beginning to make their descent.

He exhaled shakily. This was it. He'd come face to face with his past in just a short while. He would come face to face with the woman he'd had walked away from all those years ago. 

A woman who had been his very soul once upon a time.

As if sensing his emotion, Dawn reached up high and patted Barry's head twice. Just like she'd done at his house when he was freaking out. "It'll be okay, Barry Allen," she said reassuringly. "This is all a wonderful adventure."

She looked giddy. Positively buzzing. And in any other circumstance, Dawn's excitement would have been contagious. It would've been calming. 

But, unfortunately right now, it wasn't.

Because Barry felt the weight of what he'd left behind. And he felt the force of the storm coming on.

And all he could do was pray that, unlike last time, it wouldn't swallow him whole and spit him out in pieces.


End file.
